The Event Season 1, Episode 4 Recap: A Matter of Life and Death

Originally thought to be dead, the survivors of the Avias 514 woke up at the end of last week, a terrific cliffhanger that kept The Event questions stirring all week. They are questioned one-by-one, but it seems that the only thing they remember is getting on the plane in Miami and then waking up in the hangar lined up next to one another. None of them recall Sean trying to hijack the plane, crash landing in Yuma, nor who or what wiped their memories. The most important survivor is Michael Buchanan (Scott Patterson) who, much to the dismay of Vice President Jarvis (Bill Smitrovich), chief advisor Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek) is already questioning him.

Sterling doesn’t find out much, except that Michael was forced to fly the plane after his wife was killed and his daughters were taken away. We also get an icy chill between Sterling and VP Jarvis. Warning Jarvis to stay clear of his investigation, Sterling says, “The president and I have our differences, but the idea of me having anything to do with trying to kill him is absurd. If only, that would put you in charge.”

Leila (Sarah Roemer) is on the move to a remote house in suburban Texas where it appears she’ll be executed. Sean (Jason Ritter) and Agent Collier (Heather McComb) escape the man posing as a US Marshall and try to use what little leads they have on Vicky (Taylor Cole) to try and find Leila. One of the aliases is being used to rent out a house in Lubbock, Texas. Collier and Sean arrive at the house only to find Vicky and Leila are not there. Instead an older woman and a young child are. Sean reaches out to the young boy, Adam, and finds out that Vicky is his mother.

So it appears that Vicky is not one of “them” because she’s hiding her son (and mother) from plain sight. Vicky keeps both of them in the dark, so she must be a hired gun, which puts her motives in question.

There are two flashbacks woven into this episode. The first is one five years prior showing the first meeting between Sean and Leila’s parents at Thanksgiving. At dinner Sean stammers to reveal his family’s demons. Yet Leila’s parents prove themselves to be caring, understanding, and sympathetic. Sean appear genuine, reinforcing his true and blue affection towards Leila and Michael puts his trust in Sean.

The second flashback occurs a year ago when the President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood) and the First Lady (Lisa Vidal) have a meet and greet with Sophia (Laura Innes) who at that time was a “friend” and trusted confidant. Sophia relates how Elias and his wife met as children of Cuban refugees and hopes that her people would someday be welcomed immigrants. This small scene reveals what Sophia original intentions were and the shows first commentary on the current political climate. It also plays right before the President questions Sophia in the present. Contrasting the flashback, Sophia reveals the identity of the man behind the plane crash to be Thomas and how the plan has changed for the worse.

Leila makes a break for it after a struggle with Vicky. She shoots Vicky and flees to the streets where she seeks the help of a policeman. Leila calls Sean only to get his voicemail and leaves a message of where she’s at and that she’s escaped. What she doesn’t know is that she hasn’t.

Rooting for a reunion between Sean and Leila will now be complicated as it would be playing into the abductors’ hands, but at least we don’t have to wait the entire season for that meeting. Also, what are the mysterious beings’ plans, and what or who are they? They’ve displayed a whole range of powers including teleportation and manipulating technology. Thomas can play god and can do it all remotely.

The word, “aliens” has yet to be used. So are they aliens at all? No wreckage has been seen from the crash site from 1944.They also spoke English on their arrival. Could they be humans from the future? They’re far more advanced than what current humans can imagine and that alone puts them in the place of power. And the arrival of the beings happened during the last time the entire world was at war, which should prove to carry some significance as well. Any ideas?

Sophia claims that Thomas’ methods and plan of attack varies from hers, yet there was ultimately a grand scheme at play and freeing her and the rest of the detainees would only put that plan further in motion. But what other choices does President Martinez have?

What should be interesting in the coming weeks is how Agent Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale) plays all of this out. He is one of the beings, undercover as Sterling’s best field agent, but is also Sophia’s eyes on the outside. He is in contact with both Sophia and Thomas and has to be on someone’s side.

A scene for next week’s episode “Casualties of War,” shows Thomas upping the ante and threatens the President that what he just did to the survivors of Avais 514, he can do to entire populations if Sophia is not delivered to him on a train. Sterling negotiates and ultimately complies but Martinez threatens back if any of the survivors die, then Sophia will be executed.

Catch up on The Event at www.nbc.com/the-event and watch new episodes Monday nights at 9PM Eastern/8PM Central on NBC.

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